(This is an outline of the discussion points from February 26th.)
For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.
Matthew 18:20
Introductions…
The Velvet Elvis – Rob Bell
Movement Two – Yoke
Idea: The Bible is alive, and must be interpreted.
Discussion Setting: First Century AD
Terms of the Time: Jews, Jewish believers, gentiles, God fearing gentiles, circumcision party, Christians, the law of Moses, Rabbi, Yoke, slaves, freemen, binding and loosing, shmikah, “you have heard it said…, but I tell you”, kosher, synagogue, the Torah, gods (plural e.g. Dionysus, Asclepius, Demeter, Artemis, …)
State of the time: slaves, freemen, illiteracy, lack of printing press, women dying in child birth, children surviving to age 10, female children being sold as slaves, flogging, beatings with birch rods, stoning, crucifixion
Quotes:
“…everybody’s understanding of the Bible rests on somebody’s binding and loosing.” – Rob Bell
“This story, the first one in the Bible, is true for us because it is our story.” – Rob Bell
“Everyone thinks their opinion is the right one. If they didn’t, they’d get a new one.” – Anne Lamott
(NIV quotations) – What do we do with the following verses?
Joshua 6:17 - The city and all that is in it are to be devoted to the LORD. Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house shall be spared, because she hid the spies we sent.
Paul in 1 Corinthians 7:12 - To the rest I say this (I, not the Lord): If any brother has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to live with him, he must not divorce her.
1 Timothy 3:2 - Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach,
1 Corinthians 11:6 - If a woman does not cover her head, she should have her hair cut off; and if it is a disgrace for a woman to have her hair cut or shaved off, she should cover her head.
1 Thessalonians 5:26 - Greet all the brothers with a holy kiss.
Matthew 5:42 - Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.
Luke 12:33 - Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.
Leviticus 19:18 - Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.
Romans 13:9: The commandments, "Do not commit adultery," "Do not murder," "Do not steal," "Do not covet," and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: "Love your neighbor as yourself."
Mark 2:23 - One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grainfields, and as his disciples walked along, they began to pick some heads of grain.
Exodus 20:8 - Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.
1 Corinthians 14:34 - women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the Law says.
Ephesians 6:5 - Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ.
Jesus gives the church the power to bind and loose (i.e. interpret scripture):
Matthew 16:19 - I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."
Matthew 18:18 - I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.
Jesus gave us many examples of binding and loosing during his Sermon on the Mount.
Acts 15 – An AMAZING example of binding and loosing from the apostles. In particular, see verse 28.
The Council at Jerusalem
1Some men came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the brothers: “Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved.” 2This brought Paul and Barnabas into sharp dispute and debate with them. So Paul and Barnabas were appointed, along with some other believers, to go up to Jerusalem to see the apostles and elders about this question. 3The church sent them on their way, and as they traveled through Phoenicia and Samaria, they told how the Gentiles had been converted. This news made all the brothers very glad. 4When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and elders, to whom they reported everything God had done through them.
5Then some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, “The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to obey the law of Moses.”
6The apostles and elders met to consider this question. 7After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them: “Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe. 8God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. 9He made no distinction between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith. 10Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of the disciples a yoke that neither we nor our fathers have been able to bear? 11No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.”
12The whole assembly became silent as they listened to Barnabas and Paul telling about the miraculous signs and wonders God had done among the Gentiles through them. 13When they finished, James spoke up: “Brothers, listen to me. 14Simona has described to us how God at first showed his concern by taking from the Gentiles a people for himself. 15The words of the prophets are in agreement with this, as it is written:
16“‘After this I will return and rebuild David’s fallen tent. Its ruins I will rebuild, and I will restore it, 17that the remnant of men may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who bear my name, says the Lord, who does these things’b 18that have been known for ages.c
19“It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. 20Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood. 21For Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath.”
The Council’s Letter to Gentile Believers
22Then the apostles and elders, with the whole church, decided to choose some of their own men and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They chose Judas (called Barsabbas) and Silas, two men who were leaders among the brothers. 23With them they sent the following letter:
The apostles and elders, your brothers,
To the Gentile believers in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia:
Greetings.
24We have heard that some went out from us without our authorization and disturbed you, troubling your minds by what they said. 25So we all agreed to choose some men and send them to you with our dear friends Barnabas and Paul— 26men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 27Therefore we are sending Judas and Silas to confirm by word of mouth what we are writing. 28It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements: 29You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things.
Farewell.
30The men were sent off and went down to Antioch, where they gathered the church together and delivered the letter. 31The people read it and were glad for its encouraging message. 32Judas and Silas, who themselves were prophets, said much to encourage and strengthen the brothers. 33After spending some time there, they were sent off by the brothers with the blessing of peace to return to those who had sent them.d 35But Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch, where they and many others taught and preached the word of the Lord.
Study Questions – (from Fishing the Abyss, 2006 – Used with permission)
1. Bell comments that “the Bible is a difficult book.” When you read the Bible, what kinds of things seem ‘difficult’ to you? What questions do these ‘difficulties’ raise for you? Who have you talked to about these?
2. Bell writes that “sometimes when I hear people quote the Bible, I just want to throw up.” He also notes that a lot of people have used the Bible to justify a number of things are not justified. What do you think he’s saying here? How do we keep from making the Bible just say what we want it to say?
3. What is the concept of a ‘yoke’? Why is such a thing important to understand? What was Jesus’ yoke, and how would you go about using it?
4. What is ‘binding and loosing’? How is it related to a rabbi’s yoke? Where in scripture might you find examples of ‘binding and loosing’? Who do you think, in your local church, has the authority to ‘bind and loose’? What would you base this on? What would be the important things to consider in this practice?
5. Why do you think Bell disagrees with the assumption that the Bible can be read without individual perspectives or ‘agendas’? Do you agree with him? Why or why not? What are the implications of this – particularly as it pertains to ‘binding and loosing’?
